1'IBR.AFOf 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 
Of    ILLINOIS 


G30.7 


AGRICULTURE 


NON  CIRCULATING 
CHECK  FOR  UNBOUND 

SLATING  COPY 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station 


BULLETIN  No.  297 


VARIETIES  OF  BARLEY  FOR  ILLINOIS 


BY  GEORGE  H.  DUNCAN,  ROBERT  W.  STARK,  AND  W.  L.  BURLISON 


URBANA,  ILLINOIS,  OCTOBER,  1927 


SUMMARY 

Barley  is  becoming  of  increasing  importance  in  Illinois,  and  is 
being  included  in  crop  rotations  as  a  competitor  of  oats.  Its  principal 
use  is  as  a  feed  for  livestock. 

Eight  varieties  of  barley  have  been  tested  at  the  DeKalb  ex- 
periment field  in  northern  Illinois  for  periods  ranging  from  one  to  ten 
years.  Nine  varieties  have  been  tested  at  Urbana  in  central  Illinois 
for  one  to  eleven  years. 

Oderbrucker,  Wisconsin  Pedigree,  Silver  King,  and  Black  Barb- 
less  have  given  the  highest  yields  on  both  fields.  All  of  these,  with 
the  exception  of  Black  Barbless,  belong  to  the  Manchuria  group  of 
barleys. 

The  northern  two-thirds  of  the  state  may  be  considered  in  a 
general  way  spring  barley  territory,  tho  no  definite  limit  to  the  south- 
ern boundary  can  well  be  ascribed.  Barley  should  be  sown  early.  The 
average  date  of  seeding  at  Urbana  has  been  about  April  3,  while  at 
DeKalb  it  has  been  about  April  16.  The  seed  bed  should  be  prepared 
as  for  oats  and  the  seed  sown  at  the  rate  of  1.5  to  2  bushels  to  the 
acre,  either  with  a  drill  or  an  end-gate  seeder. 

A  mixed  crop  of  barley  and  oats,  in  a  two-year  trial  at  DeKalb 
and  a  four-year  trial  at  Urbana,  produced  a  greater  weight  of  grain 
an  acre  than  oats  grown  alone,  but  the  yield  was  not  signifi- 
cantly greater  than  barley  alone.  Spring  emmer  grown  at  DeKalb 
and  Urbana  produced  less  than  either  barley  or  oats.  Spring  rye 
grown  at  DeKalb  yielded  somewhat  more  grain  than  did  Marquis 
spring  wheat  but  its  acre  value  wras  less. 

A  number  of  materials  have  been  found  to  be  effective  as  seed 
treatment  against  stripe  and  the  covered  and  loose  smuts,  the  prin- 
cipal diseases  of  barley.  The  most  promising  materials  are  Uspulun, 
Semesan,  and  Germisan.  Soaking  infected  grain  in  a  %0-Percent  so- 
lution of  one  of  these  substances  has  been  found  to  control  effectively 
all  three  barley  diseases. 


VARIETIES  OF  BARLEY  FOR  ILLINOIS 

BY  GEORGE  H.  DUNCAN,  ROBERT  W.  STARK,  AND  W.  L.  BuRLisoN1 

Appreciation  of  the  value  of  barley  is  gradually  developing  in 
Illinois.  The  acreage  of  barley  in  1927  was  seven  times  that  in 
1916.  This  increase  probably  is  due  to  the  relatively  low  market 
price  of  oats  as  well  as  to  their  comparatively  low  acre  yield.  Farmers, 
especially  those  in  the  central  and  northern  part  of  the  state,  are  fol- 
lowing good  practice  when  they  use  barley  as  a  substitute  for  at  least 
a  part  of  the  oats  crop.  It  is  already  a  common  crop  in  the  northern 
fourth  of  Illinois,  especially  in  Boone,  DeKalb,  and  Kane  counties. 

As  a  nurse  crop  for  clover  and  alfalfa,  barley  is  more  satisfactory 
than  winter  or  spring  wheat,  winter  rye,  or  late  oats,  and  is  as  good 
as,  and  frequently  better  than  early  oats.  In  gross  acre  value  it  has 
exceeded  oats  by  29  percent  as  an  average  of  the  ten-year  period  1916- 
1925  in  Illinois.2  It  has  exceeded  rye  by  37  percent  and  hay  by  13 
percent.  Corn  has  surpassed  barley  by  22  percent  and  wheat  has  sur- 
passed it  by  6  percent.  If  the  net  acre  value  of  these  crops  were  con- 
sidered, barley  would  likely  compare  more  favorably  with  corn. 

In  its  feeding  value  the  grain  of  barley  is  similar  to  corn.  It  is, 
however,  somewhat  higher  than  corn  in  digestible  protein,  slightly 
lower  in  digestible  carbohydrates,  and  contains  only  about  one-third 
as  much  digestible  fat.  If  the  European  corn  borer  should  become  a 
serious  handicap  to  corn  growing  in  Illinois,  it  is  probable  that  barley 
will  be  grown  in  a  part  of  the  area  now  devoted  to  corn,  since  it  is  not 
so  seriously  injured  by  the  insect  as  is  corn. 

The  development  of  high-yielding  barleys  having  smooth  or  barb- 
less  beards,  toward  which  remarkable  progress  has  already  been  made, 
will  entitle  this  crop  to  a  more  favorable  consideration  than  it  has 
heretofore  received. 

This  bulletin  reports  the  results  of  variety  tests  of  barleys  made 
on  the  experiment  fields  at  DeKalb  and  Urbana  in  the  northern  and 
central  parts  of  Illinois  from  1915  to  1926.  Some  general  information 
also  is  given  about  the  crop  and  its  uses. 

Barley  Used  Mainly  for  Feed 

Barley  finds  its  principal  use  as  a  feed  for  livestock.  In  the 
Northwest  it  is  fed  to  all  classes  of  livestock,  taking  the  place  of  corn 
very  largely.  Because  of  the  hardness  of  the  grain  it  is  generally 
agreed  that  for  best  results  barley  should  be  coarsely  ground  or  rolled 
for  most  animals  before  being  fed.  When  used  for  lambs,  however, 

JGeorge  H.  Dungan,  Assistant  Chief  in  Crop  Production;  Robert  W.  Stark,  Associate; 
W.  L.  Burlison,  Chief. 

"Statement  is  based  on  crop  statistics  contained  in  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture 
yearbooks. 

43 


44 


BULLETIN  No.  297 


[October, 


the  whole  barley  grain  produces  gains  equally  as  good  as  ground  bar- 
ley. Finely  ground  barley  is  difficult  for  animals  to  eat,  forming  a 
pasty  mass  in  their  mouths. 

Barley  is  fed  to 
horses  rather  exten- 
sively on  the  Pacific 
slope  and  to  some  ex- 
tent in  the  northern 
states  and  Canada. 
Pound  for  pound, 
crushed  or  rolled  bar- 
ley is  said  by  some 
authorities1  to  be  bet- 
ter than  oats  for  work 
horses.  Barley  is  some- 
what more  fattening 
than  oats  and  less  fat- 
tening than  corn. 

The  Danes  consider 
ground  barley  and  oats 
one  of  the  best  feed* 
mixtures  for  dairy 
cows.1  The  Scandina- 
vians regard  corn  and 
barley  as  equally  val- 
uable for  milk  produc- 
tion, and  at  the  Wis- 
consin Station  ground 
barley  was  found  to 
be  "equal  to  ground 
corn  when  forming  60 
percent  of  the  concen- 
trate mixture."1 

A  good  deal  of  bar- 
ley is  fed  to  swine  in 
the  northern  states.  In 
Europe  and  Canada  it 
is  the  most  common 
grain  for  hogs.  It  pro- 
duces a  firmer  fat  than 
corn,  and  this  charac- 
teristic has  gained  it 
the  distinction  of  be- 
ing the  best  feed  for 


DISTRIBUTION  OP  BARLEY  IN  1925 

Barley  is  now  a  common  crop  in  the  north- 
ern fourth  of  the  state,  especially  in  Boone,  De- 
Kalb,  and  Kane  counties,  where  it  is  used  as  a 
substitute  for  at  least  a  part  of  the  oats  crop. 
Each  dot  on  the  above  map  represents  1,000 
acres.  (Data  taken  from  Circular  349,  Illinois 
Crop  and  Live  Stock  Statistics  issued  by  the 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  cooperating  with 
the  Illinois  Department  of  Agriculture.) 


'Henry  and  Morrison  in  "Feeds  and  Feeding." 


1927]  VARIETIES  OF  BARLEY  FOR  ILLINOIS  45 

the  production  of  prime  quality  bacon.  In  trials  at  the  Michigan  Sta- 
tion1 the  pigs  fed  barley  were  reported  to  have  made  gains  "which 
were  very  satisfactory,  but  not  quite  so  rapid  as  those  fed  corn."  For 
100  pounds  gain  the  pigs  fed  barley  required  50  pounds  more  grain 
than  the  corn- fed  pigs,  but  they  consumed  9  pounds  less  tankage. 

Barley  is  relatively  poorer  for  sheep  than  for  any  other  class  of 
livestock.  Henry  and  Morrison  in  summarizing  the  results  of  some 
feeding  trials  conclude  that  "while  barley  is  an  excellent  feed  for  fat- 
tening lambs,  it  is  worth  18  to  20  percent  less  a  ton  than  shelled  corn." 
As  already  stated,  it  is  not  necessary  to  grind  barley  for  sheep. 

In  the  states  adjoining  the  west  coast  of  the  United  States,  barley 
is  very  commonly  used  as  hay.  When  desired  for  this  purpose, 
it  is  cut  in  the  milk  or  soft-dough  stage.  It  occasionally  is  used  as  a 
nurse  crop  for  alfalfa  in  the  corn  belt,  and  when  used  in  this  way  is 
frequently  harvested  for  hay.  The  value  of  barley  hay  is  about  the 
same  as  that  of  good  oat  hay.  The  rough  beards,  however,  sometimes 
cause  sores  in  the  mouths  of  animals,  particularly  horses.  This  harm- 
ful effect  is  worse  when  the  barley  has  been  cut  late  or  when  animals 
are  fed  barley  straw. 

Upper  Mississippi  Valley  Favors  Manchuria  Type 
There  are  a  number  of  distinct  groups  of  barley  varieties  which 
are  variously  adapted  to  different  conditions  of  soil  and  climate.  The 
Manchuria  type  has  proved  superior  in  the  upper  Mississippi  valley. 
It  consists  of  a  number  of  closely  related  varieties  of  spring  barleys 
that  are  particularly  well  adapted  to  regions  of  abundant  spring  and 
early  summer  rainfall. 

Manchuria  Type  Well  Adapted  to  Northern  Illinois 
During  the  eleven  years  covered  by  the  tests  at  DeKalb  in  DeKalb 
county  four  of  the  eight  varieties  tested  have  proved  outstanding  in 
their  superior  yielding  ability.  These  are  Wisconsin  Pedigree,  Oder- 
brucker,  Michigan  Black  Barbless,  and  Silver  King,  all  of  the  Man- 
churia type  except  Michigan  Black  Barbless,  which  closely  resembles 
the  Manchuria. 

The  different  varieties  have  been  grown  for  varying  lengths  of 
time,  as  shown  in  Table  1,  and  for  this  reason  the  average  yields  are 
not  directly  comparable.  The  percentage  rating  more  nearly  estab- 
lishes their  relative  yielding  ability,  but  neither  basis  of  comparison  is 
so  satisfactory  as  a  comparison  of  averages  for  the  same  years,  as 
arranged  in  Table  3.  Compared  in  this  way  it  is  evident  that  the  four 
varieties  named — Wisconsin  Pedigree,  Oderbrucker,  Michigan  Black 
Barbless,  and  Silver  King — are  nearly  equal  in  productiveness,  Silver 
King  being  a  little  less  productive  than  the  other  three.  Beardless  and 
Two-Rowed  barley  are  decidedly  inferior. 

'Henry  and  Morrison  in  "Feeds  and  Feeding." 


46 


BULLETIN  No.  297 


[October, 


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19S7] 


VARIETIES  OF  BARLEY  FOR  ILLINOIS 


47 


The  yields  of  White  Hull-less  are  calculated  on  the  basis  of  60 
pounds  to  the  bushel.  The  ordinary  hulled  barley  weighs  48  pounds 
to  the  bushel.  For  this  reason  the  yields  of  White  Hull-less  cannot  be 
compared  with  the  other  varieties  on  the  bushel  basis.  White  Hull- 
less  made  an  average  yield  of  23.8  bushels  to  the  acre;  which  is  equiv- 
alent to  1,428  pounds.  Wisconsin  Pedigree  produced  an  average  of 
3,019  pounds  to  the  acre  during  the  same  years.  If  15  percent  be 
deducted  from  the  yield  of  Wisconsin  Pedigree  for  hull,  it  still  is  1,138 
pounds,  or  79  percent,  ahead  of  White  Hull-less. 

Three  Outstanding  Varieties  for  Central  Illinois 
Nine  varieties  of  barley  have  been  tested  at  Urbana,  in  Cham- 
paign county,  for  periods  of  one  to  eleven  years.    The  yields  obtained 

TABLES. — DsKALB   FIELD:    COMPARABLE  AVERAGE  YIELDS 
OF  Six  HIGHEST  YIELDING  VARIETIES  OF  SPRING  BARLEY 

(Bushels  an  acre) 


Varieties 

Number 
of  years 
com- 
pared 

Aver- 
age 
yield 

Differ- 
ence 

Varieties 

Number 
of  years 
com- 
pared 

Aver- 
age 
yield 

Differ- 
ence 

Oderbrucker 

Wisconsin  Pedigree 

Oderbrucker  

4 
4 

7 
7 

4 
4 

4 
4 

2 
2 

53.9 
54.0 

53.2 
52.3 

50.3 
47.9 

56.2 
38.8 

68.6 
31.6 

-     .1 
+     .9 
+  2.4 
+17.4 
+37.0 

Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 
Oderbrucker  

7 
7 

4 
4 

5 
5 

4 
4 

4 

4 

52.3 
53.2 

51.6 
51.1 

52.0 
50.3 

54.8 
38.8 

62.9 
37.0 

-     .9 
+     .5 
+  1.7 
+16.0 
+25.9 

Michigan  Black  Barbless 
Oderbrucker  

Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 
Michigan  Black  Barbless 

Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 
Silver  King  

Wisconsin  Pedigree  
Oderbrucker  

Silver  King  

Oderbrucker  

Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 
Beardless  

Beardless  

Oderbrucker  

Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 
Montana  Two-Rowed.  . 

Montana  Two-Rowed.  . 

Michigan  Black  Barbless 

Silver  King 

Michigan  Black  Barbless 
Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 

Michigan  Black  Barbless 
Oderbrucker  

4 
4 

4 
4 

4 
4 

51.1 
51.6 

54.0 
53.9 

61.1 
50.6 

-     .5 
+     .1 
+     .5 

Silver  King  

4 
4 

4 
4 

4 
4 

47.9 
50.3 

50.3 
52.0 

50.6 
51.1 

-  2.4 
-  1.7 
-     .5 

Silver  King  
Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 

Silver  King  

Michigan  Black  Barbless 
Silver  King  

Michigan  Black  Barbless 

Beardless 

Montana  Two-Rowed 

Beardless  

4 
4 

4 
4 

2 
2 

38.8 
56.2 

38.8 
54.8 

47.0 
31.6 

-17.4 
-16.0 
+15.4 

Montana  Two-  Rowed.  . 
Oderbrucker  

2 
2 

4 
4 

2 
2 

31.6 
68.6 

37.0 
62.9 

31.6 
47.0 

-37.0 
-25.9 
-15.4 

Oderbrucker  

Beardless  

Montana  Two-  Rowed.  . 
Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 

Montana  Two-Rowed.  . 
Beardless  

Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 
Beardless  

Montana  Two-Rowed.  . 

48 


BULLETIN  No.  297 


[October, 


on  this  field  are  in  general  in  accord  with  those  obtained  at  DeKalb. 
Oderbrucker,  Silver  King,  and  Wisconsin  Pedigree,  representing  the 
Manchuria  type,  again  have  proved  clearly  superior. 

Michigan  Black  Barbless  does  not  seem  to  be  so  well  adapted  to 
conditions  on  this  field  as  at  DeKalb.  Beardless,  Montana  Two-Rowed, 
and  White  Hull-less  are  plainly  unsuited  to  this  section.  White  Hull- 


TABLE  4. — URBANA  FIELD:    COMPARABLE  AVERAGE  YIELDS 
OF  Six  HIGHEST  YIELDING  VARIETIES  OF  SPRING  BARLEY 

(Bushels  an  acre) 


Varieties 

Number 
of  years 
com- 
pared 

Aver- 
age 
yield 

Differ- 
ence 

Varieties 

Number 
of  years 
com- 
pared 

Aver- 
age 
yield 

Differ- 
ence 

Oderbrucker 

Beardless 

Oderbrucker  

9 
9 

2 
2 

2 
2 

4 
4 

8 
8 

4 
4 

43.7 
44.3 

56.2 
55.4 

46.9 
45.3 

38.3 
36.1 

48.6 
37.1 

57.2 
30.0 

-     .6 
+     .8 
+  1.6 
+  2.2 
+11.5 
+27.2 

Beardless  

2 
2 

2 
2 

7 
7 

8 
8 

2 
2 

4 

4 

33.0 
45.3 

33.0 
45.2 

36.1 
48.0 

37.1 

48.6 

44.2 
55.4 

43.5 
30.0 

-12.3 
-12.2 
-11.9 
-11.5 
-11.2 
+13.5 

Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 
Oderbrucker   . 

Common  

Michigan  Black  Barbless 
Beardless  

Oderbrucker  

Silver  King  

Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 
Beardless  

Oderbrucker  

Michigan  Black  Barbless 
Oderbrucker  

Oderbrucker  

Beardless  

Beardless  

Common  

Montana  Two-Rowed.  . 

Montana  Two-Rowed.  . 

Silver  King 

Michigan  Black  Barbless 

Silver  King  

2 
2 

4 
4 

4 
4 

2 
2 

45.3 
46.9 

46.0 
43.2 

46.0 
42.7 

45.3 
33.0 

-  1.6 
+  2.8 
+  3.3 
+12.3 

Michigan  Black  Barbless 

4 
4 

4 
4 

6 
6 

2 
2 

42.7 
46.0 

36.1 
38.3 

37.5 
39.3 

45.2 
33.0 

-  3.3 
-  2.2 
-  1.8 
+12.2 

Oderbrucker    .... 

Silver  King  
Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 

Silver  King  

Michigan  Black  Barbless 

MichiganBlackBarbless 
Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 

Michigan  Black  Barbless 
Beardless  

MichiganBlack  Barbless 
Silver  King  

Beardless  

Wisconsin  Pedigree 

Montana  Two-Rowed 

Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 
Silver  King  

4 
4 

9 
9 

6 
6 

7 
7 

3 
3 

43.2 
46.0 

44.3 
43.7 

39.3 
37.5 

48.0 
36.1 

57.8 
27.2 

-  2.8 
+     .6 
+  1.8 
+11.9 
+30.6 

Montana  Two-Rowed.  . 
Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 

Montana  Two-Rowed.  . 
Oderbrucker  

3 
3 

4 
4 

2 
2 

4 
4 

27.2 

57.8 

30.0 
57.2 

33.2 
55.4 

30.0 
43.5 

-30.6 
—27.2 
-22.2 
—13.5 

Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 
Oderbrucker  

Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 
Michigan  Black  Barbless 

Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 
Beardless  

Montana  Two-Rowed.  . 
Common  

Montana  Two-Rowed.  . 

Wisconsin  Pedigree  .... 
Montana  Two-Rowed.  . 

1927} 


VARIETIES  OF  BARLEY  FOR  ILLINOIS 


49 


less  produced  a  four-year  average  of  1,248  pounds  an  acre,  while  dur- 
ing the  same  period  Oderbrucker  yielded  2,746  pounds  an  acre. 

Barley  and  Oats  as  Companion  Crops 

It  is  sometimes  claimed  that  a  mixture  of  barley  and  oats  grown 
together  will  yield  a  greater  weight  of  grain  than  will  an  equal  area 
of  either  cereal  grown  separately.  Tests  were  made  at  DeKalb  and 
Urbana  in  order  to  determine  whether  such  results  could  be  obtained 
under  Illinois  conditions.  The  mixture  of  seed  was  made  up  in  the 
proportion  of  48  pounds  of  barley  to  32  pounds  of  oats.  An  early  oat, 
such  as  Sixty-Day,  was  used  in  order  to  secure  a  combination  that 
would  mature  at  the  same  time.  Parallel  plots  of  barley  alone  and 
oats  alone  were  sown  at  the  same  time. 

So  far  as  the  data  at  present  available  indicate,  the  mixed  grain 
when  grown  under  Illinois  conditions  will  yield  more  than  the  same 
area  of  oats  alone  and  about  the  same  or  even  less  than  an  equal  area 
of  barley.  At  DeKalb  barley  alone  made  a  two-year  average  yield  of 
500  pounds  in,  excess  of  the  mixture  and  1,000  pounds  more  than  the 
oats  alone  (Table  5) .  At  Urbana  the  cereal  mixture  slightly  outyielded 

TABLE  5. — COMPARATIVE  TESTS  OF  BARLEY  AND  OATS  GROWN  ALONE 

AND  AS  COMPANION  CROPS 

(The  seed  of  the  barley-oats  mixture  was  made  up  at  the  rate  of  48  pounds  of  barley 

to  32  pounds  of  oats) 

(Yields  given  in  pounds  an  acre) 


Field 

Crops 

1915 

1924 

1925 

1926 

Average 

DeKalb 

Barley  alone  

3  240 

2  838 

3  039 

Oats  alone  

2  134 

1  875 

2  005 

Cereal  mixture  

2  684 

2  355 

2  520 

Urbana 

Barley  alone  

2  650 

2  480 

1  410 

2  511 

2  263 

Oats  alone  

2  483 

2  354 

1  275 

2  224 

2  084 

Cereal  mixture  

2  793 

2  543 

1  368 

2  415 

2  280 

the  barley  during  a  four-year  period,  and  exceeded  the  oats  alone  by 
about  200  pounds.  The  combination  crop  has  the  advantage  of  being 
handled  more  easily  at  harvest  time  than  barley  alone,  the  presence 
of  the  oats  resulting  in  a  neater,  more  compact  bundle  and  the  barley 
beards  being  less  in  evidence. 

Spring  Barley  Adapted  to  Northern  Two-Thirds  of  State 
In  a  general  way  spring  barley  may  be  considered  adapted  to  the 
northern  two-thirds  of  Illinois.    No  definite  limit  to  the  southern  ex- 
tension of  this  region  can  well  be  ascribed.    Much  depends  upon  the 
fertility  of  the  soil  and  its  physical  condition.     Seasonal  conditions 
are  important  factors  and  opportunity  for  early  seeding  is  essential. 
While  too  much  importance  should  not  be  given  to  the  relative 


50  BULLETIN  No.  297  [October, 

yields  secured  from  two  fields  only,  representing  different  sections  of 
the  state,  it  is  of  interest  to  note  that  at  DeKalb  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  state  Wisconsin  Pedigree  made  a  ten-year  average  yield  of  55.4 
bushels  an  acre.  At  Urbana,  in  the  central  section,  this  variety  yielded 
only  45.1  bushels  during  the  same  years,  or  10  bushels  less  a  year.  The 
soil  of  each  field  is  a  dark-colored  prairie  type  and  each  is  in  excellent 
state  of  fertility. 

Preparing  the  Seed  Bed 

A  good  seed  bed  for  spring  barley  may  be  prepared  by  plowing 
the  land  and  then  compacting  and  pulverizing  it  with  the  disk  and 
harrow.  If  in  the  previous  year  the  land  was  devoted  to  some  clean- 
cultivated  crop  such  as  corn,  a  satisfactory  seed  bed  can  usually  be 
prepared  by  thoroly  disking  the  ground. 

Seed  Should  Be  Sown  Early 

Barley  should  be  sown  early,  but  not  sufficiently  early  to  cause  it 
to  be  subjected  to  severe  freezing  temperature.  In  the  variety  trials 
conducted  by  the  Illinois  Station,  it  has  been  sown  at  the  time  the  oats 
were  sown.  The  date  at  Urbana  has  ranged  from  March  9  to  April  24, 
the  average  being  about  April  3.  At  DeKalb  the  earliest  date  of 
seeding  was  April  5  and  the  latest  April  24,  the  average  April  16.  The 
grain  may  be  sown  either  with  an  end-gate  seeder  or  a  disk  drill.  The 
latter  is  preferable.  From  1.5  to  2  bushels  of  seed  should  be  sown 
to  the  acre. 

Barley  Diseases  and  Their  Control 

It  is  seldom  that  barley  is  seriously  injured  by  black  stem  rust. 
When  the  crop  has  been  seeded  late,  however,  some  damage  from 
this  disease  may  occur.  Barley  ripens  in  a  shorter  period  than  spring 
wheat  and  therefore  rust  is  usually  much  less  serious  on  it  than  on 
spring  wheat.  Rust  injury  may  be  prevented  very  largely  by  seeding 
the  barley  crop  at  the  proper  time. 

Barley  is  subject  to  both  covered  smut  and  loose  smut.  It  used 
to  be  thought  that  the  covered  smut  could  be  most  satisfactorily  con- 
trolled by  disinfecting  the  exterior  of  the  seed,  whereas  the  loose  smut 
required  treatment  with  hot  water.  Recent  investigations1  have  shown 
that  effective  surface  disinfection  of  the  seed  controls  loose  smut  as 
well  as  it  does  covered  smut.  Several  of  the  organic  mercury  com- 
pounds, including  Chlorophol,  Corona  620,  Germisan,  Semesan,  and 
Uspulun,  have  given  excellent  results,  being  superior  to  formaldehyde 
from  the  standpoint  of  seed  germination,  smut  control,  and  yield  of 

'Leukel,  R.  W.  Further  experiments  on  the  control  of  bunt  of  wheat  and  the 
smuts  of  barley  and  oats.  Phytopath  16,  347-351,  1926.  Tisdale,  W.  H.,  Taylor, 
J.  W.,  Leukel,  R.  W.,  and  Griffiths,  Marion  A.  New  seed  disinfectants  for  the 
control  of  bunt  of  wheat  and  the  smuts  of  oats  and  barley.  Phytopath  15, 
651-676,  1925. 


1927] 


VAKIETIES  OF  BARLEY  FOR  ILLINOIS 


51 


crop  from  treated  seed.  A  %0-percent  solution  of  these  materials  and 
a  soaking  period  of  one  hour  was  found  most  satisfactory  for  smut 
control,  with  the  exception  of  Corona  620,  which  was  found  to  give 
good  smut  control  when  used  in  %0-percent  strength.  A  %0-Percent 
concentration  may  be  prepared  by  mixing  the  materials  and  water  in 
the  proportion  of  1  pound  of  chemical  to  40  gallons  of  water.  After 
soaking  2  bushels  of  grain,  the  solution  should  be  made  up  to  the 
original  volume  with  a  %0  -percent  solution  and  2  ounces  of  the 
chemical  added  to  replace  that  taken  out  by  the  grain.  All  of  these 
compounds  are  poisonous  and  livestock  should  be  kept  away  from 
the  treated  grain  as  well  as  from  the  liquid  itself. 

Stripe  disease  causes  considerable  injury  to  barley  in  Illinois  dur- 
ing some  years.  This  disease  appears  as  long  brown  streaks  on  the 
leaf  blades.  The  fungus  causing  it  is  carried  from  one  season  to  the 
next  on  the  seed.  It  infects  the  plant  soon  after  germination  and  de- 
velops internally,  finally  cropping  out  as  prominent  stripes  on  the 
leaves.  Seed  treatment  will  very  effectively  control  stripe.  Soaking 
infected  seed  for  one  hour  in  a  %-percent  solution  of  Germisan  has 
been  found  to  eliminate  all  stripe  infection.1  A  .%0 -percent  solution  of 
Uspulun  and  a  soaking  period  of  one  hour  satisfactorily  controlled 
stripe  and  gave  the  best  results  of  any  treatment  in  the  experiment. 

Since  Uspulun,  Semesan,  and  Germisan  are  good  materials  to 
use  in  the  control  of  both  the  smuts,  as  well  as  the  most  desirable  of 
all  the  products  now  on  the  market  from  the  standpoint  of  stripe 
control,  they  are  recommended  for  general  use  in  the  control  of  these 
serious  barley  diseases.  The  dust  form  of  these  materials  has  not 
been  tried  as  seed  treatment  for  barley. 

Spring  Emmer  and  Rye  as  Illinois  Crops 

Occasionally  inquiries  come  to  the  Station  concerning  spring 
emmer  and  spring  rye,  two  small  grains  which  are  little  known  in 

TABLE  6. — YIELDS  OF  SPRING  EMMER  COMPARED  WITH  SPRING  BARLEY  AND  OATS 

AT  DEKALB  AND  URBANA;  SPRING  RYE  COMPARED  WITH 

SPRING  WHEAT  AT  DEKALB 

(Pounds  an  acre) 


Field 

Crops 

1915 

1916 

1917 

1918 

1919 

1920 

1921 

1922 

Aver. 

DeKalb 

961 

530 

2097 

1196 

2674 

1786 

2880 

2447 

Oata 

1462 

851 

2621 

1645 

Urbana 

Spring  emmer  

1868 
2650 

1729 
2741 

1851 
3490 

1491 
2102 

1347 
1642 

1038 
1531 

1287 
2347 

1516 
2358 

Oata  

2483 

2790 

3200 

1581 

1226 

1494 

1939 

1917 

DeKalb 

Spring  rye  

1249 

1949 

2626 

1210 

1658 

1738 

1836 

1920 

2520 

1116 

636 

1606 

1Leukel,  R.  W.,  Dickson,  James  G.,  and  Johnson,  A.  G.  Seed  treatment  ex- 
periments for  controlling  stripe  disease  of  barley.  Phytopath  16,  565-576,  1926. 


52  BULLETIN  No.  297 

Illinois.  Both  have  been  grown  for  short  periods  by  the  Experiment 
Station.  The  data  concerning  them  are  included  in  this  publication 
since  they  fit  into  the  cropping  system  and  may  be  sown  and  harvested 
in  a  manner  similar  to  barley.  Spring  emmer  may  be  used  for  feed, 
while  rye  may  serve  as  a  cash  grain  crop. 

Spring  emmer  was  tested  at  DeKalb  and  Urbana  and  spring  rye 
at  DeKalb  only.  The  yields  of  emmer  secured  (Table  6)  did  not  equal 
those  of  oats  or  barley  on  either  field.  Spring  rye  yielded  1,736  pounds 
an  acre  at  DeKalb  as  an  average  of  five  years.  Marquis  spring  wheat 
produced  during  those  same  years  an  average  of  1,608  pounds  an  acre. 
On  the  basis  of  the  average  farm  price  on  December  1  during  the  last 
four  years,  the  gross  acre  value  of  the  rye  was  $26.69  and  the  spring 
wheat  was  $32.63. 

DESCRIPTION  AND   ORIGIN   OF  VARIETIES1 

Beardless.  Belongs  to  the  group  of  six-rowed,  hulled,  hooded  barleys.  The 
seed  for  these  experiments  was  secured  from  commercial  stocks  of  unknown  ori- 
gin. Beardless  probably  is  the  Horsford,  which  resulted  from  crossing  a  six-rowed, 
bearded,  hulled  barley  on  a  six-rowed  naked  barley.  The  cross  was  made  by  Mr. 
F.  H.  Horsford  of  Charlotte,  Vermont,  about  1880.  There  are  a  number  of  dif- 
ferent varieties  of  beardless  barley  closely  resembling  Horsford  which  were  de- 
rived from  similar  crosses. 

Common.  From  stock  of  unknown  origin  belonging  to  the  group  of  six- 
rowed,  hulled,  bearded  barleys  of  the  Manchuria  type. 

Mansbury.   A  six-rowed,  hulled,  bearded  barley  of  the  Manchuria  type. 

Michigan  Black  Barbless.  Belongs  to  the  group  of  black  six-rowed,  hulled, 
bearded  barleys.  The  stock  from  which  this  originated  was  secured  from  southern 
Russia.  A  selection  made  at  the  Minnesota  Station  was  named  Lion.  This  vari- 
ety has  no  sharp  barbs  on  the  awns.  Michigan  Black  Barbless  is  a  selection  from 
Lion  made  at  the  Michigan  Station.  Because  the  beards  are  smooth,  this  variety 
is  less  disagreeable  to  handle  than  are  the  ordinary  bearded  varieties.  It  is  shorter 
and  stands  better  on  rich  soil  than  varieties  of  the  Manchuria  type.  Has  given  ex- 
cellent yields  on  the  DeKalb  field  but  apparently  is  not  so  well  suited  to  condi- 
tions at  Urbana. 

Montana  Two-Rowed.  A  two-rowed,  hulled,  bearded  variety.  The  seed  was 
secured  from  a  commercial  seed  house  which  claimed  to  have  got  its  stock  from 
Montana.  Two-rowed  barleys  are  poorly  suited  to  Illinois  conditions. 

Oderbrucker.  A  six-rowed,  hulled,  bearded  barley  of  the  Manchuria  type. 
The  original  stock  was  introduced  into  this  country  from  Germany.  It  is  not 
know  from  which  one  of  the  several  introductions  this  particular  strain  was  de- 
rived. Well  adapted  to  Illinois  conditions. 

Silver  King.  A  six-rowed,  hulled,  bearded  barley  of  the  Manchuria  type. 
It  is  a  selection  made  by  the  Wisconsin  Station  and  has  been  widely  distributed. 
A  good  variety  for  Illinois. 

White  Hull-less.  A  six-rowed  naked  barley,  belonging  to  the  Nepal  group, 
supposed  to  have  originated  in  Nepal,  India.  It  is  a  smooth  barley,  and  like 
wheat,  threshes  out  hull-less.  Has  been  tested  at  numerous  experiment  stations  in 
the  United  States  but  has  not  proved  productive  at  any  of  them. 

'For  the  classification  of  these  varieties  and  the  history  of  their  origin,  the  authors  have 
drawn  freely  from  Bulletin  1334  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  "Tests  of  Barley  Vari- 
eties in  America,"  by  H.  V.  Harlan,  Mary  L.  Martini,  and  M.  N.  Pope. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


